


Hope

by Keldae



Series: The Family Business [5]
Category: Star Wars Legends: The Old Republic
Genre: Angst, Cross-Posted on Tumblr, Drabble, Friendship, Gen, Timeskip, kotfe, mention of Theron Shan/Female Jedi Knight
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-13
Updated: 2017-10-13
Packaged: 2019-01-17 01:00:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 790
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12354141
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Keldae/pseuds/Keldae
Summary: It takes three words to give him the will to live again.





	Hope

It had been three months since the siege on Coruscant was lifted. Non-Zakuulan residents of the galaxy were finally able to travel and trade again, but nothing felt the same. No matter how much forced laughter was heard or how much alcohol was consumed, nobody could even pretend that this was anywhere near normal. With almost no visible Jedi anywhere, very few off-duty soldiers frequenting the cantinas, and every smuggler or hired gun keeping a wary eye open for any sign of their new Wild Space overlords… it wasn’t normal or right.

Theron would have rather taken a brawl in the Slopes than this oppressive paranoia. Maybe it was the whiskey he’d already had making his judgement and thoughts hazy (and oh, wasn’t Korin going to kick his ass for getting drunk without him. It wasn’t  _Theron’s_  fault that his friend-turned-protege was doing some snooping on Rishi… okay, maybe it was, but that was beside the point.), but he was desperate for almost anything to happen. Anything to make a spark come back into his life and give him a purpose beyond struggling to find a way to make Arcann and the rest of Zakuul hurt for what they’d taken from the galaxy. He’d parted on very poor terms with the SIS and his father, and right now found himself adrift without a real sense of purpose, and pain eating him away from the inside. Anything to make him stop thinking about bright red hair, sparkling green eyes, a mischievous grin, more sarcasm than a Jedi should have had a right to use, and the taste of their last kiss…

Somebody dropped into the booth across from him. Theron opened his mouth to tell the intruder to kriff off, until he recognized the short blonde hair and golden eyes. “Lana,” he numbly said- the Sith was one of the last people he’d expected to find him here. 

“You are  _such_  a nuisance to track down on the best of days,” Lana grumbled by way of greeting. “I’ve been looking for you for months.” 

“I thought you were dead,” Theron quietly said. “Thought you’d been killed with Imper- Sorand, or you were on the flagship with Marr and… her.”

“No, I was unable to join Darth Marr and Master Taerich in Wild Space, which I realize probably saved my life,” Lana admitted. “And I did not recognize the danger to Darth Imperius until it was too late, something I’m going to regret forever.”

“Want to talk about regrets we’re gonna have forever?” Theron mumbled into his whiskey. “I wish I’d talked her out of going with Marr in the first place.” The idea that Xaja might have died with so many other Jedi in combat with Zakuulan forces didn’t really come to mind.

Lana frowned at Theron. “… You look terrible, Theron. Are you all right?”

Theron bitterly snorted. “I haven’t been okay in a long time.” 

There was a long moment of silence, broken by the scrape of Theron’s glass on the tabletop as he swirled his whiskey around. “You’re no longer with the SIS,” Lana finally said.

“Nope.” Theron shook his head. “There wasn’t a point anymore, the Republic’s not doing enough to fight Zakuul, Saresh just wants to take out the Empire.” He chuckled, although the sound was dry and mirthless. “The Empire didn’t kill her. The Empire isn’t the biggest threat in the galaxy.”

“Theron…” Lana reached across the table and gripped Theron’s wrist, making the spy look up at her. “She’s not dead.”

The Slopes’ noises faded to near-silence that Theron couldn’t hear over the sound of his heart pounding in his ears. “What?” Lana was a ruthless pragmatist, but she wouldn’t be so cruel to lie to Theron and get his hopes up only to shatter them, right?…

“She and Marr were taken alive from the flagship and brought to Zakuul. Marr was executed, but Master Taerich is being held as a trophy prisoner after reportedly killing Vitiate’s latest form, Arcann’s father Valkorion and-Theron? Breathe.”

“She’s alive?” Theron whispered, feeling a spark of life in his own chest for the first time since the news of her death came through the official channels.

“Frozen in carbonite, according to my sources.” Lana stood up from the table. “Come, I need help in planning how to rescue her. If anyone can save the galaxy again, it’s her.”

Theron felt the first hint of a real smile touch his lips as he abandoned his whiskey on the table and followed Lana out of the cantina. If this news was true and Xaja Taerich was still alive… even the rumour was enough to give him a purpose again.  _I’ll find you and get you out of there, Xaja. I promise._


End file.
